Whole Foods tries to shed ‘Whole Paycheck’ image

jjs07

jjs07

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Read this article last night. I found it to be interesting. I think it's a combination of WF's arrogance and the consumer, who is becoming a smarter shopper that can find the same (or comparable) items elsewhere. Personally, I used to rely on WF for their meats/veggies...but I'll happily do most of my shopping at Wegman's now. I can get my organics, amongst other things, at a fraction of the cost that I was paying at WF.

All in all, it's going to be interesting to see what WF does going forward...

WASHINGTON — Whole Foods Market, often called “Whole Paycheck” because of its prices, is working to shed that image.

The chain realizes that it is no longer as exclusive as it once was, and that it needs to compete on price and bring shoppers back.

In its most recent quarter, Whole Foods’ same-store sales were down 2.6 percent from a year ago, and the retailer has said that sales could fall as much as 2 percent in 2017.

“The field is a little more crowded. Whole Foods sort of had a monopoly for a long time, but there’s more competition now and more focus on organics,” said Jeff Metzger, publisher at Food World and Food Trade News in Columbia, Maryland.

“Whole Foods did a wonderful job and kind of created that semimonopoly for many years, but other guys have caught up, including many mainstream retailers who offer large and somewhat comparable organic sections,” he said.

For example, D.C.’s biggest grocery players by market share, Giant Food and Safeway, continue to open larger and more upscale stores while still keeping prices competitive.

One recent example of Whole Foods’ new approach is its Thanksgiving dinner, which might have been one of this year’s best Thanksgiving bargains. Its prepared turkey dinner, with a ready-to-cook, 13-pound bird and traditional side dishes for 6 to 8 people, was $90 this year. It was previously $120.
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Link
 
Wegmans >>>

My only complaint with Wegmans is I have this shoppers club card, have bought over $2k worth of groceries using it in the past few months, and I don't get any coupons/savings or anything. Am I doing something wrong? I feel like it's pointless to even have this card.

Every time I shop at the Giant I save a lot of money with my Giant card.

Still go to Whole Foods sometimes but only for a few things. Never to stock up on groceries for the week.
 
I don't really find their prices to be that crazy. Certain items are even a good deal. I don't exclusively shop there, but I'm still there pretty frequently.
 
They are opening a new whole foods soon close by, I will give it a shot. I really have gotten used to Wegmans though. I loverslept making my list with the app and having it tell me where everything is, makes my shopping so efficient. :lol:
 
Cards93 said:
They are opening a new whole foods soon close by, I will give it a shot. I really have gotten used to Wegmans though. I loverslept making my list with the app and having it tell me where everything is, makes my shopping so efficient. :lol:
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Word I do the same. That Wegmans app is clutch.
 
Outside of shopping at commissary for big purchases i head to Good Food Market for my shopping needs. Got to support the locals.

Harris Teeter> other chain grocery stores
 
I got kicked out of trader joes in downtown bk. I don't feel like going to union square to shop. Been eating out ahem now.
 
Gentrification said:
I got kicked out of trader joes in downtown bk. I don't feel like going to union square to shop. Been eating out ahem now.
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How does someone w/ the screen name gentrification gentrification , get kicked out of a Trader Joe's? :lol:

Hennessy said:
Wegmans >>>

My only complaint with Wegmans is I have this shoppers club card, have bought over $2k worth of groceries using it in the past few months, and I don't get any coupons/savings or anything. Am I doing something wrong? I feel like it's pointless to even have this card.

Every time I shop at the Giant I save a lot of money with my Giant card.

Still go to Whole Foods sometimes but only for a few things. Never to stock up on groceries for the week.
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Check w/ customer service the next time you go in. We get stuff mailed to our house all the time.
 
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They don't have wegmans here . I mainly go to wf just for meats. Get the regular items from the local grocery store.
 
JJs07 said:
How does someone w/ the screen name gentrification gentrification , get kicked out of a Trader Joe's? :lol:
Check w/ customer service the next time you go in. We get stuff mailed to our house all the time.
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Man this hefty *** worker came bum rushing thru, didn't move broad got the shoulder. I said a few things. Manager came in cuzzed her out, it got racial. Called her a white *****. Threatened to call the cops. Said do it. Ain't been back since.I don't condone this ratchet behavior on my part. In a few weeks I'm going to try and go back.
 
What can u get at whole foods that you cant get anywhere else for a better price?
 
NazDrowie said:
people sleep on Aldi, their Simply Nature line is pretty much the same as anything I've had from WF, Wegmans, HT, or other higher-end grocers...
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I heard that Aldi is a direct competitor to Trader Joe's. My parents went last week and weren't too impressed, tho.


LuckyLuchiano said:
Whole foods is trash minus the Hot bar if you have a good Farmers Market in your city.
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I think WF's arrogance is getting the best of them. They're not realizing that the consumer is getting the same quality items at places like Farmer's Markets, other grocery stores, Amazon, etc. and are cutting their normal grocery bill by a considerable amount.

Like, how long can you go with jacked up prices before folks start smartening up? Stores like Wegmans have it figured out.

In Fairfax, there's an amazing Whole Foods in Fair Lakes...however, about a mile down the road is a fantastic Wegmans.
 
Dc WF meat market is not even on point vs stores in the south. I know the department caters to the market but how I'm suppose to get my cheddar jalapeño bacon to cook on the weekend or purchase my beef from the meat shop then walk across the aisle for them to cook my burger as I wait to eat
 
JJs07 said:
I heard that Aldi is a direct competitor to Trader Joe's. My parents went last week and weren't too impressed, tho.
 
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Aldi is no frills, with their cart rentals and the food on pallets...

the parent company of Aldi actually owns TJ through a trust, but they operate independently of each other...
 
JJs07 said:
I heard that Aldi is a direct competitor to Trader Joe's. My parents went last week and weren't too impressed, tho.
I think WF's arrogance is getting the best of them. They're not realizing that the consumer is getting the same quality items at places like Farmer's Markets, other grocery stores, Amazon, etc. and are cutting their normal grocery bill by a considerable amount.

Like, how long can you go with jacked up prices before folks start smartening up? Stores like Wegmans have it figured out.

In Fairfax, there's an amazing Whole Foods in Fair Lakes...however, about a mile down the road is a fantastic Wegmans.
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Yup. Dont let Amazon Partner with a Farmers market for some instant delivery of organic goods stuff lol.

To be quite honest there are Krogers that are better than whole foods. At this point I think many people shop at whole foods for the image and branding because if you live in a major city (not sure about NYC or Chicago) there tends to be waaaaaaaaay better places to get groceries. Like I said I only go for the hot bar and thats only every so often.
 
Yeah, I like Aldi for their low prices and good *** Greek yogurt. One of the best I've had from a grocery store.

The WF in TriBeCa is my spot (the one in SoHo is cool too). I can spend way too much time wandering up and down the aisles looking at nonsense.

Trader Joe's is like the middle ground, IMO.
 
A few things

I wonder if pushing too hard to compete will do them more financial harm than good. They have already cut their prices down in recent years for similar reasons.

Trader Joes: Two opened near me last year and the one thing I noticed about them was how small they were. I've heard about them for many years on here via Cali NTers and was hyped when they opened, but was disappointed when I browsed the stores. Are all of them small?

WH is too pricey for me to get all my stuff there. That said, their prepared food is official :pimp: :pimp:

That $90 Thanksgiving deal must of been great.
 
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Get the same type of stuff from Aldi for way cheaper without the whole snooty kind of vibe/image. Bring your own recyclable canvas bags though
 
Mangudai954 said:
A few things

I wonder if pushing too hard to compete will do them more financial harm than good. They have already cut their prices down in recent years for similar reasons.

Trader Joes: Two opened near me last year and the one thing I noticed about them was how small they were. I've heard about them for many years on here via Cali NTers and was hyped when they opened, but was disappointed when I browsed the stores. Are all of them small?

WH is too pricey for me to get all my stuff there. That said, their prepared food is official
pimp.gif
pimp.gif


That $90 Thanksgiving deal must of been great.
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I did the $180 thanksgiving meal and it was legit, mashed potatoes were delicious.
smokin.gif
 
I always though Aldi was just an international shop for the Africans. I've only gone in there to buy cashews. The Safeway by me is nice though. Wegman is A-1 for the burger bar alone. I've been to some upscale H-E-Bs before. Now those are where you get quality for low prices.
 
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